Wolves manager Gary O’Neil has today provided a new update on the condition of Matheus Cunha, after the attacker was forced off injured against Brentford.
The Brazilian went off against the Bees after around 20 minutes, with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde replacing him.
Wolves suffered as a result of losing Cunha, with Gary O’Neil‘s side lacking incisiveness in the final third.
He has been in magnificent form this season and is easily one of the team’s most important players, and that became very clear after he’d gone off.
After O’Neil had said after the game that the player actually didn’t feel too bad, fans have been nervously waiting for an update on Cunha since the weekend and one has now arrived – and it’s worrying news…
Gary O’Neil says Matheus Cunha has sustained a ‘significant’ hamstring injury
Cunha went for scans and tests after he sustained his injury, and there is finally word today regarding his condition.
Sadly, it looks as though Wolves fans will not be seeing Cunha in Old Gold for at least a little while, with O’Neil saying the player has sustained a ‘significant’ injury and that there is no timeframe for his return.
He said (via Wolves official): “It’s a fairly significant injury to his hamstring. There’s no timeline on it. I’ve spoken to Matheus a lot and he just wants to keep pushing to get back as soon as he can.
“He’s started working on it already, so we’re just going to monitor it week by week, day by day, see how far he can come and how quickly we can get him back. He’s keen to get back out there as soon as possible.
“It’s obviously a big blow to us, to the team and Matheus because of the work he’s been doing – the form he was in was exceptional. These things happen, every team suffers injuries. Channy was gone for over a month with the Asian Cup and we managed to keep ploughing on and we need to do the same without Matheus.”
A hammer blow for Wolves
So that’s Cunha following in the footsteps of Pedro Neto sustaining a serious hamstring injury.
The fact no timeframe has been put in place for his return is hugely concerning, although fans can perhaps take some heart from the fact that the player is keen to get back out there as soon as possible and has already started his recovery.
Wolves losing Cunha for any amount of time is a serious blow though.
With 11 goals and seven assists so far this season, there is a big output to try and cover, and there is perhaps now even more responsibility on Neto and Hwang Hee-chan to deliver.
In terms of direct replacements for Cunha, the manager could now choose between playing Jean-Ricner Bellegarde through the middle, which is not something that’s been very successful so far.
Or he could turn to young Nathan Fraser, who stuck around after Wolves failed to sign a new striker in January